Jimbo Fisher explains how Texas A&M is addressing gambling issues, combatting vulnerability of players

The recent college football gambling scandal continues to rock the NCAA with the latest institution to fall victim being Iowa State. And the Aggies, like many others, are not taking any chances when it comes to combating gambling within the program. Recently, Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher addressed the topic, highlighting how the program is tackling the issue along with the vulnerability of players.

“We brought in a speaker last night to educate them on how you can get sucked into it, how people can do,” said Fisher. “They’re marked guys. People know who they are. I mean exposing guys, putting guys in compromising positions to get control of them to do things.”

“Gambling, with all the sports fantasy leagues and all that stuff, these kids can do those things in high school. They’ve done their whole life, and they have an app on their phone. Accessibility to gambling is a very scary thing because it becomes addicting and competitive. And they don’t think it’s a big deal because I’m gambling on this, I’m gambling on that. We suck them in as a society.”

It is worth noting that the minimum age required to participate in gambling in America is 18. Depending on the state, the age can range from the aforementioned 18 years old to 21 years of age. So, most high schoolers would not have legal access to gambling and betting. Still, like other age-restricted items in the United States, there is a possibility that it can fall into the hands of underage individuals, as Fisher highlighted. And one of the things that the Aggies headman sees at fault is the advancement of social media.

“(They) use the social media world; everyone knows where they’re at, what they’re doing because they’re telling everybody. I mean, that’s what gamblers look for: to get you in a compromising position, to get leverage on you, to get you to do something.

“We had a great speaker last night on that whole fact, and we spent a lot of time on gambling… and how people can take advantage of you. As mature as we think they are, they’re extremely naive to people taking advantage of their celebrity status of who they are and know who they are and what they are because of social media. They’re not hard to find. Kids are vulnerable right now. We’re trying to be preventative and try to stop them from getting in compromising positions.”

Not only does gambling carry significant ramifications for players, coaches, or affiliates of a program, as far as their association with that program, but it also could have a significant criminal impact. Implications vary depending on state and federal guidelines, along with other laws, rules, and mandates. So, in order to ensure that Texas A&M is on the up and up, the Aggies are using whatever tools are at their disposal to ensure that they remain on the right side of the law and NCAA when it comes to gambling.